Man Group plc Takes Position in Green Plains, Inc. $GPRE

Man Group plc bought a new stake in Green Plains, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 165,263 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,542,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of GPRE. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in Green Plains by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 34,606 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Green Plains by 1.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 100,159 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Green Plains by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 12,275 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 1,290 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in Green Plains by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 9,304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 1,736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Green Plains by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 28,547 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 2,245 shares during the last quarter.

Green Plains Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ GPRE opened at $14.45 on Tuesday. Green Plains, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.65 and a 1 year high of $19.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $16.02 and its 200-day moving average is $15.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of 9.09 and a beta of 1.17.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.29. Green Plains had a net margin of 6.78% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The business had revenue of $446.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $542.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.09) earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Green Plains, Inc. will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GPRE. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Green Plains in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Green Plains from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Green Plains from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Green Plains in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.43.

Green Plains Profile

Green Plains Inc is a leading producer of fuel-grade ethanol and related co-products in the United States. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company operates an integrated network of biorefineries that convert corn and other grains into renewable fuels. Through its production facilities, Green Plains supplies ethanol to domestic fuel markets and export channels, supporting efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote cleaner-burning transportation options.

Beyond ethanol, Green Plains manufactures a range of co-products that add value throughout the agricultural supply chain.